Population
Greater Kings Mountain 10.320
City Limits 7.206
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Kings Mountain's Reliable Newspaper
—TV rja
1 C Pages .
| D Today
VOL 66 NO. 35
Established 1889
Kings Mountain, N. C., Thursday, August 30, 1956
Sixty-Seventh Year
PRICE FIVE CENTS
City And Park Grace Schools To Open Tuesday
ALEXANDER TAKES OATH AS POSTMASTER—Charles L. Alex
ander became Kings Mountain postmaster last Friday afternoon.
Mr. Alexander, left, repeats the oath administered by F. R. Hayes,
postoffice inspector and Kings Mountain native. Mr. Alexander
succeeded W. T. Weir, who held the office from January 15, 1955,
as acting postmaster.
Local News
Bulletins
MOOSE MEETING
Members of Kings Mountain
Moose Lodge 1748 will hold
their regular weekly meeting at
the lodge on Besslemer City
road, Thursday nighCat 8:15.
IN FINALS
King’s Quartet of First Bap
tist church will appear in
quarter finals of the Arthur
Smith TV Talent show at Park
Center, Charlotte, September
8th at 8 p. m. Members of the
quartet are Blake McWhirter,
Bob' Smith, Clavon Kelly, and
Joe Hord.
COMMUNICATION
An emergent communication
of Fairview Lodge 339 AF &
AM will be held Monday
night, September 3rd, at 7:30
,p. m. at Masonic Hall for work
in the third degree. A barbe
cue supper will be served at
6:30 p. m.
REUNION
The family of the late Ema
nuel Rudisill will bold their
annual reunion Sunday, Sep
tember 2nd., at 1:00 >p. m. in
the Howell club house, Cher
ryville. M. L. Mauney, of Char
lotte, is president of the organ
ization.
REUNION
Annual Herndon-Mitcham
reunion will be held Sunday,
September 2nd, at Lake Craw
ford picnic area. Dinner will
be served picnic-style at 1
o’clock, and all relatives have
been invited to attend.
KIWANIANS TO PICNIC
Final outdoor meeting of the
Kings Mountain Kiwanls club
will be held at Lake Montonia
Thursday evening at 7 o’clock..
Red Bridges, of Shelby, will
serve a barbecue dinner for
Kiwanians and their families.
MEETING POSTPONED
The scheduled meeting of
' the recently appointed City
Recreation Commission, set for
Monday night, was postponed
for two weeks, Secretary-Trea
surer Gene Mitchem announ
i ced Monday afternoon. The
\ board meets in City Court
X room.
I { -
DISSOLVING FIRM
Gantt and Crawford, Inc.,
' ‘ I Kings Mountain firm, is dis
solving the corporation, accor
ding to preliminary certificate
of dissolution published today.
J. Wilson Crawford, member of
' the firm, said the business
would continue in operation as
a partnership. The firm has
conducted residential building
on Belvedere Circle.
A Early High School
Registering Urged
Kings Mountain high school
students who haven’t yet regis
tered for the term beginning
next Tuesday are requested to
visit the school and accomplish
registration on Friday of this
week.
E. L. Brown, principal, said
he would be in his office bet
ween 8:30 and 5 p. m. Friday
for this purpose and urged all
unregistered students to com
plete registration for the fall
term on this date.
C. L Alexander
Took Postmaster
Oath On Friday
Charles L. Alexander, 34, be
came Kings Mountain postmaster
last Friday afternoon, when he
took the oath of office from F.
R. Hayes, post office inspector
and Kings Mountain native.
Mr. Alexander assumed the of
fice held since January 15, 1955,
by W. T Weir, Mr. Weir, serving
as acting postmaster, had succeed
ed W. E. Blakely, since killed in
an auto accident.
Mr. Alexander, a navy veteran
of World War II, has been em
ployed far the past ten years by
Elmer Lumber Company. He
placed third in a civil service exa
mination for the postmaster po
sition last year, subsequently ob
tained the endorsement of the 'Re.
publican township executive com
mittee, and was nominated for
the position by President Eisen
hower in February. The U. S.
Senate confirmed his appoint
ment on June 27.
Mr. Alexander is the son of
Mr. and Mrs. L. L. Alexander.
His wife, the former Ruby Moss,
Continued on Page Eight
"No Parking"
For Pupil Autos
Kings Mountain high school
students will not be allowed to
park cars on school grounds dur
ing the coming year, Supt. B. N.
Barnes announced this week.
Noting the limited parking
space on the school grounds, Mr.
Barnes said decision has been
made to ban parking of pupil’s
vehicles on school property.
Traffic lanes must be kept op
ep for receipt of cafeteria and
school supplies, Mr. Barnes add
ed, also noting that parents bring
ing pupils to and from school will
find the parking area available.
Pupils, of course, may park
cars on streets adjacent to the
Central plant.
‘‘It’s a space problem,” Mr.
3arnes commented.
Close Vote On Pearsall Plan
Would Spur NAACP- Falls
Representative
Urges Support
Of Amendment
Support of the Pearsall Plan,
embodied in one of four amend
ments North Carolinians will con
sider in thfe September 8 general
election, was urged strongly by
Rep. B T, Falls, Jr., as he add
ressed members of the Kings*
Mountain Lions club Tuesday
night.
The Shelby legislator told the
Lions he regarded adoptiort of
the Pearsall plan by a large ma
jority “North Carolina’s one hope
to retain its public school sys
tem.”
He gave this particular reason
to support his contention:
North Carolina’s eastern coun
ties, where enmity toward non
segregated public schools is grea^
test, dontrol the North Carolina
Senate. It is Mr. Falls’ conten
tion that Eastern Senators would
decline to appropriate funds for
schools in the event de-segrega
tion is forced, thereby killing
North Carolina’s public school
system.
In calling for a large vote,
Rep. Falls said, “I hope, along
with the Governor, that a million
votes will be cast on September
.8, and that the majority in favor
of the Pearsall Plan will be large.
If the vote is close, it will be an
invitation to the National Asso
ciation for the Advancement of
Colored People to say, ‘They don’t
care much in North Carolina, so
let’s go down and take over.’ ”
Rep. Falls offered thfe opinion
North Carolina’s 1955 school as
signment law—returning com
plete pupil assignment authority
to the state’s 174 local school
units—is likely to solve the prob
lem. He said it would be employed
to fullest extent before the Pear
sall Plan, if adopted, is ever used.
He said it is in eastern coun
ties of the state, some of which
have predominantly Negro popu
lations, where the pupil assign
ment law is likely to breakdown.
Mr. Falls excoriated the Su
preme Court for its May 17, 1954,
decision declaring public school
segregation illegal. He said, “The
Supreme Court on that date ceas
ed to be a judicial body and
sought to become a legislative
body.”
“Yet to defy the law would be
foolhardy,” he continued, des
cribing both the 1955 school as
signment law and the proposed
Pearsall Plan as efforts of the
state to live within the law, yet
to circumvent an “intolerable”
situation.
Commenting on the Pearsall
plan, Mr. Falls noted the tuition
grant provision would provide a
bout $134 per annum for a child
to attend a private school. He
added private schooling is likely
Continued on Page Eight
No Pupil Assignment Exceptions
To Be Made Before September 7
City school trustees, gathered
Wednesday afternoon for an in
spection of the new North plant,
>et a called meeting for Septem
ber 7 to consider pupil re-assign
ment requests. The board agreed
no exception will be made, or
considered, prior to that date.
Supt. B. N. Barnes said all pu
pils will be expected to attend
school for the first four days as
set forth in the pupil assignment
plan adopted by the school trus
tees last week.
City school officials reported
Wednesday only a minor inci
dence of complaint concerning
pupil assignments adopted last
week.
Mrs. Wanza Davis, secretary
to Supt. B. N. Barnes, said less
than 50 parents had Obtained
blank fdrms to request pupil re
assignments. Of this number,
only a few had been filed with
the school- superintendent Wed
nesday morning.
•Mr. Barnes said major reason
for the postponement of action
on reassignment requests is the
need for full enrollment infor
mation. He noted that the school
board may find itself in the po
sition to accommodate parents
and also to help itself to smoothe
classroom and teacher loads.
Both Trustee J. W. Webster
and 'Mrs. Davis said principal
objection to the pupil assign
merits have come from parents
of pupils to the east of Cleve
land avenue—York road who
have been assigned to East
school for 1956-57 and who for
merly attended Central school
with principal objection the fact
that sidewalks are lacking on
Cleveland avenue
'Mr. Webster noted that side
walk construction is a matter
outside the province of the
school trustees and said he had
referred several individuals to
Mayor Glee A. Bridges.
State law provides that re
quests for school reassignment,
under the 1955 General Assembly
act, must be filed not later than
10 days after final publication
of assignment notice. The notice
is published in today's Herald
for the final time, meaning that
parents have ten days from Au
gust 30 to file reassignment re
quests.
Forms for making the appli
cations are availa'ble at the su
perintendent’s office.
Continued on Page Eight
REVIVAL SPEAKER — Evange
list Don Austin, of Greensboro,
will conduct a week's series of
services beginning Sunday night
at Second Baptist church.
Second Baptist
To Hear Austin
Revjvalv services will begin
Sunday, continuing for a weiek, at
Second Baptist church, it was an
nounced by the pastor, Rev. Ho
ward T. Cook.
Evangelist Don Austin, of
Greensboro formerly associated
with Evangelist Billy Graham,
will conduct the services, to be
hfeld each evening, September
9-16, at 7:30. Special singing will
also be a feature of the revival
series.
Evangelist Austin has traveled
abroad with Mr. Graham, Rev.
Cook’said.
Youths Deplore
School Change
At least two of Kings Moun
tain's city school students are
wondering about the school as
signment plan set forth by the
City School Board of Trustees last
week.
Jimmy Grant and Jerry Whet
stine, both age 10, expressed
great concern about the school
assignment when they paid a visit
to The Herald last Friday after
noon.
“Did the paper have it right
about where we are supposed to
go to school” Young Mr. Grant
inquired.
When assured that the informa
tion was published just as it came
from the school board, he added,
“Well, my mother says It’s too
far for me to walk to go to East
School. At this point, his com
panion piped in with a “mine too.”
The next question on his mind
was how to get “changed back
to Central” as he put it.
Both boys said they had attend
ed Central last year, and both re
side on Baker street, which is a
territory alloted to East School
for the coming school year.
It was explained how he could
request the school board to reas
sign him to another school. This
procedure involves contacting
either the principal of the school
where the pupil is assigned or
Supt. B. N. Barnes and obtaining
a standard blank form asking for
reassignment. The school board
approved these forms at its last
Continued On Pane Eight
Pat Malcolm
Polio Victim
Pat Malcolm, 17 - year - old
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J. T.
Malcolm, of York road, is a pa
tient in Kings Mountain hospi
tal with a diagnosed case of po
lio.
Miss Malcolm, who will toe a
junior at Central High school,
was admitted to the hospital
Friday. Her condition was de
scribed Wednesday toy Dr. Paul
Hendricks, attending physician,
as satisfactory and thus far no
paralysis has been noted. Miss
Malcolm, Dr. Hendricks reported
will protoatoly be discharged
within a day or two.
The patient had not previously
received Salk vaccine. She (be
came ill last Thursday
Carpenter Says
He May Seek
Mayor's Office
Clarence E. Carpenter, former
city tax supervisor who asked
and obtained a leave of absence
last April, said Wednesday
morning he is considering be
coming a candidate for rrtayor
in next May’s election.
It was among the earliest pub
lic indications of office-seeking
in city political history. Custo
marily, potential candidates
don’t become publicly active
prior to January 1 of election
years, though Mayor Glee A. ,
bridges, the incumbent, four\
years ago, formally announced
notice of candidacy on December
33,.
Though Mayor Bridges has
made no statements, political
observers expect him to seek a
third term at next May’s voting.
While Mr. Carpenter’s is the
first direct indication of politi
cal candidacy, there is evidence
of activity among some citizens
of possible candidacy for city of
fices.
Will majority of the incum
bents seek re-election?
Generally speaking, it is too
early to guess, even by the in
cumbents. Two commissioners,
W. G. Grantham and J. H. Pat
terson, have inferred that their
curent and second terms, will toe
their last, tout tooth made similar
inferences two years ago, subse
quently ran again and defeated
their opponents.
In addition to six city off’rcr'
to toe filled at next May’s voting
will toe two school board posi
tions, terms of Dr. P. G. Padgett
and Fred W. Plonk expiring. In
next May’s voting, new rules go
verning school trustee elections
will be inaugurated. As passed
by the 1955 General Assembly,
the new election rules eliminate
the ward requirements for elect- I
ing school board mmbers. Since
1939, school trustees have been
elected on a strict ward basis
for six-year terms. A candidate
had to reside in the ward he
sought to represent and was
elected solely by the voters in
that particular ward. Next
spring, any citizen in any ward
may seek the two vacancies and
will toe elected by all the voters
of the full Kings Mountain
school district. The six-year term
of office was retained. The bill
changing the election rules was
advanced by Mrs. Haywood E.
Lynch, then a member of the
school board, and had the en
dorsement of all members of the
board.
LIONS DIRECTORS
Directors of the Kings
Mountain Lions club will hold
their regular meeting Thurs
day evening at 7 o’clock in the
office of Dr. N. H. Reed, club
president.
JOHN H. GAMBLE
...nr'iTmTnmminmiitfi
JOHN H. RUDISILL
PRIDE G. RATTERREE
CARL B. MOSS
Four Receive
College Degrees
Three Kings Mountain men
were awarded master of arts de
crees' and another received the
bachelor of science degree in re
_c.it co.Iege commencement ex
ercises. •
Awarded master of arts de
grees from Appalachian State
reacher’s college, at Boone, were
lohn Rudisill and John H. Gam
ale, both of Kings Mountain, and
Pride Graham Ratterree, of Da
vidson, former resident Carl B.
Moss, son of Mr. and Ms. M. B.
Moss, received the bachelor of
science degree from Bowling
Jr^en College of Commerce,
Bowling Green, Ky.
Mr. Rudisill, Bethware school
arincipal for eight years, previ
ously attended Davidson college
for two years and was graduated
[rom Lenoir Rhyne college at Hie
tory.
Mr. Gamble, eighth grade fea
ther at East Elementary school
»nd assistant football coach at
tended Gardner-Webb college and
-eceived his degree from ASTC,
it Boone.
Mr. Ratterree, son of Mrs. Pride
3. Ratterree, of Kings Mountain,
s line coach at Davidson college.
He is a graduate of Wake Forest
college.
Mr. Moss, a graduate of Kings
Mountain high school and Kings
Business college, received the B.
3. degree in business administra
tion and higher accounting. He
will join the faculty of King’s
Rusinese onlleee in Sentember
Campbell Philei Receives Honor
For SO Years As Hardv/areman
Campbell Phifer, of Phifer j
Hardware in Kings Mountain, is ,
probably the oldest hardware dea- j
ler in Cleveland County and this
artea of North Carolina. Mr. Phi- j
fer celebrated his 50th anniver- ;
sary in the hardware business in j
January 1956.
‘I’ve seen a lot of changes in ;
the town and the hardware busi
ness since 1906,” Mr. Phifer sta
ted.
“For instance,” the 74-year-old
merchant pointed out, “When I
went to work for D. M. Baker
Hardware Co., In 1906, Kings
Mountain was primarily a farm
ing community. I have seen the
city grow Into a manufacturing
center since that time. Back In
those early days, farming imple
ments and supplies constituted a
major portion of the hardware
business, now it has shifted to
household goods.”
Mr. Phifer bought the D.' M.
Baker Company’s stock and fix
tures in 1921, and has been in
business for himself for the past
35 years. The location of Phifer
Hardware has changed one-half
block In that period of time. The
hardware store was located in the
building now occupied by Belk’s
Department Store until 1932
when it was moved to its present
location at 211 South Battle
ground avenue.
Asked about retirement, Mr.
Phifer smiled and replied, “I
haven’t given it much thought.
As long as I am able to get a
round, I guess I’ll be around the
store.”
Incidentally, the 74-year-old
hardware dealer is on the job
every day, and counts his friends
and customers in the hundreds.
The Estwing Manufacturing
Company of Rockford, 111., manu
facturers of unbreakable ham
mfers, awarded Mr. Phifer a forg
ed-in-otoepiece 14karat gold finish
ed hammer for his long service
to the hardware business and to
the community. The hammer,
which is mounted on a handsome
plaque, is on display in the win
dow of Mr. Phifer’s store.
Mr. Phifer^ three sons. Marri
ott. Menzell and Vy’endell Phifer,
are also active in the business. A
daughter, Mrs Doris Phifer An
thony- lives in Gastonia.
Mrs. Phifer is the former Min
nie Ware.
Mr. Phifer is an active member
of ,Boyce Memorial ARP church,
is a veteran elder and treasurer
of the church Sabbath school.
Retainers To Take
Labor Day Holiday
While Labor will be
mostly that for majority of
Kings Mountain citizens, it will
be a holiday for many re
tail firms.
Majority of the city’s retail
ers, and Kings Mountain fi
nancial institutions will observe
the traditional Labor Day holi
day. The retailers will suspend,
however, next Wednesday’s
half-holiday, remaining open
for the full day.
Drug stores will operate on
regular schedule Monday, as
will motion picture houses, ser
vice stations, industry and the
Kings Mountain Herald.
Tax Payments
Reported Heavy
City Tax Collector J. W.
Webster reported Wednesday that
his office has received $52,752.18
in pre-paid 1956 tax payments.
Mr. Webster added that he ex
pects to receive $60,000 of the
total tax valuation before the
end of the month. This year's
tax levy approximates $165,000,
Mr. Webster said.
Pre-payment of taxtes in August
gets the taxpayer a two percent
discount. This discount drops to
one percent in September, one
half of one percent In October,
and taxes are payable at net dur
ing the months of November, Do.
I cember and January. Penalties of
one percent will be collected start
ing in February, aai the penalty
will increase one-half of one per
cent for each month following
February.
Robert Gidntey, Cleveland Coun
ty tax collector, estimated that his
office has collected $400,000 in pre
paid taxes. Mr. Gidney anticipates
50 percent of the total county
valuation of $1,248,000 being paid
before the end of August.
“Pre-payments are coming in
faster than we can process them,”
he said. “Therefore there will be
a slight delay in getting receipts
i out to taxpayers that have mailed
I in their pre payments.”
The county’s scale of tax dis
! counts is the same as that used
by the City of Kings Mountain.
Young Elected
B & L Director
I
William F. Young, assistant
treasurer of Home Building &
Loan association, has been elect
ed to the board of directors of the
I organization.
Mr. Young was named by the
; board of directors at a recent
meeting to fill the vacancy creat
ed by the death of B. S, Peeler, Sr,
Mr Young joined the associa
tion office staff last February.
Pupils To Start
1956-57 Term
At Six Schools
Kings Mountain city schools
and Park Grace school in the
county system will open for 1956.
57 terms Tuesday morning at
8:30.
It is the first year in several
that Kings Mountain area schools
[don’t anticipate large gains in
school population. Clinics conduc
ted last spring indicate a cessa
tion (for one year, at least) in
the trend toward much larger
annual first-grade enrollments.
| Both city and Park Grace
| schools will operate only a half
; day on Tuesday, but will be on
j full all day schedules next Wed
Inesday. First grades are an ex
J ceplion. For the first two weeks
s of school, first - graders will at*
; tend only a half-day.
City schools were still short
[ three faculty members, including
[ two white grammar grade teach
I ers and one Negro grammar
| gade- teacher.
Mrs, J. C. Nickels, Park Grace
j principal, reported her faculty
complete and including, in addi
I tion to herself. Mrs. Clay Poston,
SCHOOL CAFETERIAS
; All city schools elementary
: pupils will be expected to eat
> lunch at the respective school
j cafeterias beginning with next
Wednesday, Supt. B. N. Barnes
announced y e st erday. He
added that high school patro
nage of Central cafeteria is op
tional, pending obtaining of
additional kitchen equipment.
Miss Fannie Carpenter, Mrs. Pau
line Weaver, Mrs. Nevette Hughes
and Mrs. James H. Page, all of
Kings Mountain, and Mrs. Mablfe
C. Roberts, of Blacksburg, S, C.
Monday will feature annual
pre-term opening teacher’s meet,
ings.
Park Grace teachers will meet
at the school at 2 p. m.
Davidson schools faculty will
convene at Davidson school at
1:30 p. m.
All white city schools faculty
members will convene at Cen
tral school auditorium at 10:30
a. m. Metetiiigs at individual
schools will be held at 2 o’clock.
At 12:30, the Kings Mountain
unit of the North Carolina Edu
cation association will hold its
traditional dinner at Central cafe
teria honoring new members of
the faculty.
City school buildings were vir
tually ready for the opening.
Members of the state department
of public instruction were inspec
ting the new North plant Wed
nesday afternoon.
Logan Bid High
On Blakely Lot
Chief of Police Hugh A. Logan,
Jr., was high bidder for the resi
dence of the late W. E. Blakely
at the public auction conducted
last Saturday.
Mr. Logan’s, bin of $13,300 was
the final, topping the previous
high bid of $13,200, posted by
Franklin L. Ware, Jr.
J. R. Davis, attorney for the
trustee, said Wednesday Mr. Lo
gan's bid had not been raised.
Under the legal procedure go
verning the sale, the bidding is
open for ten days from date of
sale. Any person may force re
sale by increasing the bid five
percent during the ten-day per
iod.
The seven-room residence oc
cupies a large lot on W. Moun
tain street.
August Jobless Pay
Claims Drop To 1464
Unemployment compensat
ion claims requests in Kings
Mountain was at the lowest'
figure in four months during
August, Franklin L. Ware,
manager of the employment
service here, said Wednesday.
Mr. Ware said his report for
the four weeks ending August
25 showed total weeks of com
pensation claimed at 1464,
down some 250 from the July
figure.
Though final totals on the
August report were incom
plete, Mr, Ware also noted
there was a fall-off in number
of job applications.
Both figures are indicative
of the community's employ
ment trends.